Shortbread cookies are perfect for the holidays. Try our melt-in-your-mouth shortbread, holiday spiced almond shortbread cookies, and our gluten-free shortbread cookies. Scottish shortbread is as basic and simple as a cookie (err, biscuit) can get. It’s made from just three simple ingredients: butter, sugar, and flour. Yet somehow it manages to taste incredibly indulgent! Making shortbread is actually very straightforward. All you need to do is beat the butter and sugars together until they’re fluffy, then add in the flour until it’s well mixed. Roll out the dough on parchment paper, cut it into strips, prick holes in it, and bake it until it’s golden. You can enjoy them year-round (like they do in Scotland), but they’re a favorite around the holidays, and they’re perfect for cookie exchanges or as hostess gifts. They taste especially wonderful with a warm cup of tea, coffee, or hot cocoa! Basically, whipped shortbread is made with icing sugar and sometimes cornstarch, and is very light in texture like this melt-in-your mouth shortbread recipe. Scottish shortbread has more of a biscuit feel, with a denser texture.
Butter – we often splurge on nice butter for shortbread as you can taste the flavor. But even a basic salted butter will make delicious cookies. Granulated sugar and brown sugar – although caster sugar is traditional for Scottish shortbread, we use a mix of granulated sugar and brown sugar instead. In North America, caster sugar is tricky to find (and often expensive) and we’ve found through experimentation that granulated sugar and brown sugar are the perfect combination! The granulated sugar makes the shortbread crisp, and the brown sugar keeps it dense and a little soft. All-purpose flour – any type of regular all-purpose flour will do the trick!
A bench scraper – this will help you form and cut the dough. Use it to create smooth edges, and uniform cuts. You can also use a sharp knife. A stand mixer (or electric hand mixer) – creaming the butter and sugars together until they’re light and fluffy is really hard to do without some electric help. Our stand mixer by far gets the most use at Christmas (aka cookie season). Parchment paper – any type of parchment paper will work. You’ll need a large piece that will help you transfer the dough. Try to avoid the pre-cut sheets as they won’t be large enough.
Add spice – caraway seeds were traditionally used in petticoat tails, but other warm spices like ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, or allspice will make your shortbread tastes like the holidays. Drizzle or dip in chocolate – melt some chocolate and dip half your baked shortbread in it, or drizzle it over top for an extra sweet treat. Add icing and decorate – mix up some royal icing, pull out the sprinkles, and decorate your shortbread in any way your like, for any special occasion!
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